THE HEADS OF A SERMON.
Spoken at the Funeral of Mr. Thomas
Newell in Newfoundland, Trinity on the 30th Day of June,
in 1724.
By John Moor's of Christ-Church
a Newfoundland Trader or Merchant.
GOSPORT: Printed for F. Moor's.
/3/ The Word of God which is Written for our Instruction. You will find
it in 13 Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Mark, and 35, 36
Verses.
Watch ye therefore, (for ye know not when the Master of the House
cometh; at Even, or at Midnight, or at the Cockcrowing, or in the Morning),
Lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.
I Shall a little open the Text and then proceed; the Master that
will come is Christ, the House is his Church, Heb. 3.6. I Pet. 2. 5.
It will be a great surprise to all Foolish Virgins; when on a Sudden
the cry shall be made, that Christ is coming in the Clouds, with great
Power and Glory, therefore arise ye Dead and come to Judgment. O! Wo be
unto us. If he should come suddenly and find us Sleeping in our Sins; therefore
the Apostle saith in Rom. 13 Ch. 11. It is high time to awake out
of Sleep, the Apostle Paul doth not mean a Natural Sleep, that they
should awake from; But from the Carnal Works of Darkness, for he saith
in the 12 Verse, Let us therefore Cast of the Works of Darkness, and
let us put on the Armour of Light. /4/ So the Doctrine or Note,
which I rise from the Words of the Text is this, that every one that Nameth
the Name of Christ should watch against Sin; Least Death should suddenly
come, and find us Asleep in Sin. Then, First, of all I say unto
you, that it is the Duty of us all, to set a strict Watch and Hatred against
those Sins, that we are most addicted unto, and let us take the Sword of
the Spirit, which is the Word of God, for our Spiritual Weapon to watch
withal, that with it, we may cut to Pieces the Sins that so easily beset
us; O! Sirs we are beset with our Corrupt Flesh, and Deceitful World, and
a tempting Devil, that we have great need to stand daily and hourly upon
our watch: O! let us consider the word of a praying Jesus in Matt.
26. 41. Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation; the Spirit indeed
is willing, but the Flesh is weak. Well then seeing it is our Duty
to watch and Pray, I will give you Four weighty Reasons to stir us up to
this Duty. First, Our Days are Swift. Secondly, Our Days
are few. Thirdly, When our few Days are run out, then cometh the
Master of the House, and perhaps he may come at Even, or at Midnight, or
at the Cockcrowing, or in the Morning; and I /5/ say when he is come our
Spirits must return then before that great God who gave it, either to be
Justified or Condemned, to be taken into Heaven or cast into Hell; Where
the Worm dyeth not, and the Fire is not quenched, Mark 9. 48. Fourthly,
And lastly, at the Day of the Resurrection, the Dead must arise again,
and receive the Things done in the Body, whether it be good or bad. So
now I will prove those four Things, by the Word of God, for peradventure,
God may give Repentance, to some Souls that be near, to the acknowledging
of the Truth, 2 Tim. 2. 25. So the, First Reason to stir us
up to watch against Sin, is this our Days are swift, holy Job saith,
My Days are swifter than a Weavers Shuttle, Job 7. 6. and again
in the 9 Chapter of Job and 25, 26 Ver. Now my Days are swifter
than a Post, they are passed away as the swift Ships. Ah! Friends may
we not say the same words, for hear is one Day passeth away after another,
and they fly Swiftly away; and so our Souls are posting into Eternity as
swift as the Ships on the wide Sea, are hastening into the Harbour whether
they are Bound; well seeing our Days are so swift then should not this
teach us to stand upon our watch, and live in the /6/ Fear of God, least
the Master of the House should come Suddenly, and find us Sleeping we know
not, but that he may come next Evening, or next Midnight, or next Cockcrowing,
or next Morning, and if so. If we are wise Virgins and have got the Oil
of Grace shining in our Hearts, we may say thy will be done, and let the
Messenger Death come at Midnight if the Lord please, and all gracious Souls
may say of Death, as King David said of Ahimaaz, He is a Good
Man, and cometh with good Tydings, 2 Samuel 18. 27. So Death cometh
with good Tydings to God's People, tho' there Days be Swift, and he may
come suddenly for Saints as well as for Sinners as for Instance; when
Ely the Priest of the Lord was Watching for his Heart trembled for the
Ark of the Lord, yet Death came suddenly for him, See it in I Samuel
4. 13. 18. Death came suddenly for the Prophet Ezekiel's Wife,
Ezek. 24. 16. 18. and it was Even his Wife dyed. Therefore O! Men,
let me desire you to watch and pray, Earnestly to God in the Name of Christ,
for ye know not, but this Evening grim Death may draw the Curtain and look
in upon your Souls, O! Remember the Rich Man, in the Gospel Luke 12.
20. /7/Secondly, The second Reason to stir us up to watch against
Sin, is this that Man is of few Days, or Man's Days be but few in Comparison
of Eternity, but this I may say, tho' Man's Days be few yet he meeteth
with much Evil in them; for when Pharaoh asked of Jacob how
old he was, Jacob said unto Pharaoh few and Evil have the Days of my
Life been, Gen. 47. 8. 9. Well but tho' Jacob and the rest of
God's People have but few Days, yet they shall have all their Evil in this
Life; so if they be reproached for the Sake of Christ, why is it
but in this Life, for they shall be happy at Death, I Pet. 4. 14, So
if they are afflicted, tormented, or destitute, or mocked, or scourged,
or stoned, or tempted by the Devil, why is it but in this Life, Heb.
11. 36. 37. for when the Master of this House of Flesh is come; God
hath provided for them an House not made with Hands Eternal in the Heavens,
2 Cor. 5. 1. and if the people of God doth meet with those Evils in
this Life, of few Days as Hunger and Thirst, and Nakedness, and have
no certain Dwelling Place, I Cor. 4. 13. yet the time is coming that
they shall come out of these great Tribulations, and shall wash the
filthy Rags of their own Righteousness, Isa. 64. 6. and shall make them
white in /8/ Blood of the Lamb, and then they shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more, neither mourn nor weep any more, for then God
shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes, Rev. 7. 14. 16. 17. I shall
make a little Application of what has been said if the Days of our Life
be few as indeed they be, Let me beseech you; and as the Apostle saith,
we pray you in Christ's stead be ye Reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5. 20.
Ah! Sirs, Let me desire you to watch and pray to God for Grace, for the
Apostle saith; By Grace ye are Saved, Ephe. 2. 5. and now is the
accepted Time, to receive the Grace of God, while those few Days are continued
unto us; O! Let us lay hold on Christ by Faith, and let us overcome all
the Evil that we do meet with in our few Days; with the good Spirit of
God watch ye therefore and be not overcome with Evil, but overcome Evil
with Good, Romans 12. 21. Thirdly, The Third Reason purposed to
stir us up to Watch against Sin, is this that when our few Days are over,
and all passed away; then the Master of the House is come; and he taketh
away, and who can hinder him, and who dare say unto God what doest thou,
Job. 9. 12. Then shall the Dust return to the Faith as it was, and the
/9/ Spirit shall return unto God who gave it, Eccle. 12. 7. Well
do you hear that your Flesh is as the Dust; for God said unto Adam
Dust thou art, and to Dust thou shalt return, Gen. 3. 19. So it
is the Body of Flesh, that lyeth in the Earth tell the Day of the Resurrection,
and this is one Reason, that stirreth up the People of God to watch against
Sin, and pray to God in the Name of Christ in this Life, as there Souls
may enter into Rest, while there Body of Flesh do sleep in Dust well if
the Spirit of God is setting Home any Word of his Grace upon your Hearts;
I pray you do not stifle the Motion of it: But keep them in the midst of
thy Heart, for they are Life unto those that find them, Prov. 4. 21.
22. Therefore pray unto the Lord that he may set firm in your Hearts;
for Christ said, Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and Keep
it, Luke 11. 28. Watch ye therefore, and keep the word of God in your
Hearts, for when grim Death is come, thy Spirit must go before; A just
and Holy God, to hear one of these Sentences in Matt. 25. 23. 26. 30.
If thou sincerely watch and thy Heart waketh for Christ, as the Church
in Canticels 5. 2. then I say this will be the Word thou wilt hear;
Well done thou /10/ Good and Faithful Servant, thou hast been
Faithful over a few Things, I will make thee Ruler over many Things; Enter
thou into the Joy of thy Lord. But if thou hast added Sin unto Sin,
and hast despised Reproof, and hardneth thy Neck, and so sleeping in thy
Sins, thou shalt Suddenly be Destroyed and that without Remedy, Prov.
29. 1. and this will be the Sentence thou wilt hear; Cast ye the
unprofitable Servant into outer Darkness, there shall weeping and Gnashing
of Teeth, see it in Matt. 25. 30. I must give you Scripture
proof for all, almost I say or else perhaps you will reject what I do say,
but pray Friends receive the Words of Christ, and Watch and pray, and Repent
and Believe the Gospel, for ye know not; but that the Days of Mourning
may be nigh at Hand, and perhaps while your Spirit is returning unto God
to hear one of these Sentences, either to Heaven or Hell, thy Friends in
the Flesh, may be Mourning over thy Body of Dust; Because Man goeth
to his Long Home, and the Mourners go about the Streets, Eccle. 12. 5.
O! The Lord grant we may not be found in our one Righteousness; nor yet
sleeping in our Sins, when those Mourning Days be come. Ah! Friends, the
Days of /11/ Mourning is over with God's People that are Dead, which did
Dye with a Faith in Jesus; for Blessed are the Dead which die in
Lord; from henceforth yea, Saith the Spirit that they may Rest from
their Labours, and there Works do follow them, Rev. 14. 12. 13. Well
if we enter into Rest, when the Master of the House cometh we must have
good Works here, tho' they cannot merit unto Life; for when we have
done all we can do, we must say we are unprofitable Servants, Luke 17.
10. but tho' our Works of Duty and Service, cannot be profitable unto God,
Job. 22. 2. yet they may be profitable to ourselves and others: and
especially in those things, as the Apostle Paul said unto Timothy,
in his first Epistle, which he write to him from Laodieca, Give attendance
unto Reading, to Exhortation, to Doctrine, Meditate upon these Things;
Give thyself wholly unto them, that thy profiting may appear to all; Take
heed unto thyself and to thy Doctrine, Continue in the for in doing this,
thou shall both save thyself and them that hear thee, I Tim. 4. 13. 15.
16. Well what say you, will you stand upon your watch and work out
your Salvation with fear and trembling, for now is the accepted time, therefore
let me /12/ desire you to Watch, and Pray, and flee all Youthful Lusts;
But follow Righteousness, Faith, Charity, Peace, with them that call on
the Lord out of a pure Heart, 2 Tim. 2. 22. And the very God of Peace
sanctifie you wholly, and I pray God your whole Spirit, and Soul, and Body,
be preserved Blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, I
Thess. 5. 23. So now I come to the Fourth Reason, to stir us up to
Watch, and why we should Watch. Fourthly, And Lastly, At the Day
of the Resurrection, the Dead must arise and be Judged according to their
Works, for the Apostle saith, We must all appear before the Judgment
Seat of Christ, that every one may receive the Things done in the
Body according to what he hath done, whether it be Good or Bad, 2 Cor.
5. 10. 11. Knowing therefore the Terrour of the Lord, we perswade Man;
therefore let me perswade you to awake from your Sins, and close with the
Lord Jesus Christ, before the Door of Mercy is quite shut, lest he should
suddenly come and find you sleeping, and so bind you up in Bundles to
burn, for so it shall be with all the Wicked at the End of this World,
Matt. 13. 40. And then shall /13/ ye Return, and discern between
the Righteous and the Wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that
serveth him not, Mala. 3. 18. At that Day all that are in there
Graves, shall hear God's Voice, and shall come forth, they that have done
Good unto the Resurrection of Life; and they that have done Evil to the
Resurrection of Damnation, John 5. 28. 29. Ah! Sirs, Consider your
Ways, and be wise, and do Good in this Life, in bringing forth good Fruit
unto God, for Christ hath said; Every Tree that bringeth not forth good
Fruit is hewn down and cast into the Fire, Matt. 7. 19. Watch ye
therefore and take the Shield of Faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery Darts of the Wicked, Ephe. 6. 16. That so we may be
found among the Sheep, at the Right Hand of Christ, at the Day of Judgment;
for then shall the King say unto them on his Right Hand, Come ye Blessed
of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you, from the Foundation
of the World; For I was an Hungry and ye gave me Meat, I was Thirsty and
ye gave me Drink, I was a Stranger and ye took me in, &c. so the
Lord grant that we may take this Stranger into our Hearts, by Faith and
such as do Watch, and receive /14/ Christ; they shall be Blessed and
shall go into Life Eternal, Matt. 25. 33. 34. 35. 46. So Blessed
is he that Watcheth, Rev. 16. 15. So the Lord grant that we may stand
upon our watch, the Lord enable us to Fight the good Fight of Faith, as
we may be Ready (when the Master of the House cometh) to receive a Crown
of Righteousness. Which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give to all
that Love his Appearing, 2 Tim. 4. 8. So I End with those few Considerations.
First, Consider what you have been. Secondly, Consider what
you be now. Thirdly, Consider where you shall be a Hundred Years
hence or after Death. Fourthly, Consider what has been done for
you. Fifthly, Consider what God is doing for you now. Sixthly,
Consider of God's Judgments Abroad. Seventhly, Consider of his Mercies
at Home. Eighthly, Consider what has been said and the Lord give
you Understanding. /15/A Hymn.
O Lord instruct us for to Watch,
As we may watch aright, Against the World, Flesh, and the Devil,
Which strive to Ruin us quite.
For if the Master of the House,
Should come upon us soon; And find us sleeping in our Sins,
Then sad will be our Doom.
For slothful Servants must be cast,
Into a dreadful Place; Where they shall Weep, and gnash their Teeth,
In a most woful Case.
But such as watch and keep the Faith,
For ever shall be Blest; When Christ appears he'll give to those,
A Crown of Righteousness.
FINIS.
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